HyperText Markup Language 5 (HTML5) is an increasingly popular markup language used for structuring and presenting content for the World Wide Web. Notably, HTML5 introduces native support for drag-and-drop functionality. Drag-and-drop functionality allows a user to select and drag user interface (UI) elements, enabling developers to provide more interactive and responsive web content. HTML5 implements drag-and-drop functionality using an event-based mechanism that permits a wide variety of UI elements to be defined as “draggable.”
Another component of HTML5 is the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) specification. SVG is an XML-based vector image format for describing two-dimensional graphics applications and images, and a set of related graphics script interfaces. While SVG is a powerful graphic specification, individual SVG elements (e.g., shapes, images, and text) do not properly respond to HTML5 drag-and-drop events. For example, attempting to drag-and-drop a specific SVG element contained within a parent SVG module will cause the entire SVG module to be selected and dragged, providing a poor user experience and interfering with application functionality. Consequently, developers typically are unable to utilize SVG elements in applications that require drag-and-drop functionality. Accordingly, there are challenges for developers seeking to create a web-based graphical user interface that supports drag-and-drop functionality.